The Curse of Having a Gift
by SweeTarts151
Summary: In death all answers become clear. On June 22nd Rachel Berry died saving Quinn and Frannie Fabray, this is the aftermath of the crash that tore apart lives. (Sequel to Curse or Gift)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in this story**

**A/N: This is the sequel to Curse or Gift**

**The Curse of Having a Gift**

**Chapter 1:**

**Frannie POV:**

I open my eye and see white. White everywhere, like a sterile room. No furniture or belongings in the room. I turn and catch sight of familiar blonde hair. "Quinn!" My sister turns to look at me and relief cools my panic. She was alright, a few stitches on her hairline but she was fine. The last thing I remember was the crash and then cold creeping up on me. Rachel's touch burned away the cold and I was left feeling warm and content.

Quinn clings to me. "Fran!" I can feel the tears on my neck as she sobs in relief. "I am so sorry. This is my fault. If I wouldn't have bee- Wait! Where's Rachel? Rachel?!" Her fingers grip mine in a vice like grip as she spins around, trying to catch sight of chocolate brown hair. Finally, cowered in the corner is Rachel. Her body shakes. Quinn tugs me over to her and lay her hand on Rachel's shoulder. I hear a gasp and Rachel turns around. Her veins are black as they lead to her eyes.

"Fuck." Escapes my mouth before I can stop it.

* * *

**Quinn's POV**

Frannie's curse floats by my ears but I am focused on my girlfriend. My Rachel. She looks like death warmed over. "Hey. You guys look better." Her grin is familiar and my heart clenches like it always had.

My fingers clutch at her shoulder as I pull her into me. She died, I swear I saw the black take the life out of her eyes. I was cold, so cold and I thought I had died. There was no light, only darkness as it pulled me away from two of the most important people in my life. But the darkness was chased away by light and warmth. I felt it deep inside of me and I slowly focused on the soft brown eyes I had grown to love. I saw the fear in them but also the hope. "I thought you had died." My fingers tighten on their own accord in the back of her shirt. She is a mess. Frannie and I are clean and stitched up but she isn't. She looks like I last saw her. Bloodied and black overcoming her features.

I hear a sniffle before Rachel pulls Frannie into me. "I love the both of you. This is the last thing I could do. I'm weak. I love you so much." Tears escape my eyes as I see the black ones bleeding out of hers. I shake my head as she gives me a sad watery smile. It doesn't reach her eyes like normal. They don't spark with the life Rachel has, had. "This was no one's fault." Her fingers move across my cheeks as she brushes away the tears and her grip tightens. "Do you hear me? No one's fault. It was a freak accident." She kisses my lips softly. I can taste copper and salt on them. Blood and tears. One of her hands move to grab Frannie's. I see Frannie's tear tracks out of the corner of my eye. "I love the both of you so much. I didn't think I could handle letting more people in but you wormed your ways in and left your mark. Look after each other." Frannie's hand tightens in mine and I return the favor as Rachel pulls the both of into another hug. The warmth slowly dissipates and I cling tighter to Rachel as the white room slowly flickers and fades out. Beeping fills my ears and Frannie's and Rachel's touch is replaced by the wool of a blanket and needles.

My eyes blink open on their own and I am met with bright light and tear filled dark brown eyes. They watch me with worry and heartache. My heart doesn't skip because I know these eyes. They are the dark brown of Santana not the soft brown of Rachel. Not the eyes I saw love in. The eyes I looked into before everything went black. Something tugs at the back of my mind. A white room. What was the white room about? Why did I taste copper and salt? Words rang around in my head before it throbbed in pain. My fingers moved on their own to press into the tight area near my hairline. I hiss and hear someone move. I turn my head and see my mother asleep to my right. Beside her is another hospital bed filled with blonde hair. I can see her stirring. Frannie was waking up. What happened? Screeching fills my ears and I flinch as the crunch of metal greets my eardrums. Arms hold me down like the seat belt. "You're okay Q. You're not in the car anymore." Santana's voice pulls me out of the memories, her grip loosens as my muscles relax. Car crash. We were hit by a truck. I flex my feet and sigh as I feel the wool scratch against them.

I blink as I try to remember. Rachel's eyes were happy in the mirror. The burn of glass against my skin and then cold. Why was it cold, no now warm? Why were Rachel's eyes black? I struggle against the hands holding me down. "Wher' Rach?" The words catch in my throat as if someone pulled them away at the last minute. I clear my throat but the words still come out scratchy. "Where's Rachel?" Santana's face crumples and I clench my jaw as my chin wavers at the emotions in her face. "Santana, where is Rachel?"

She licks her lips and her eyes dart to Frannie. I can hear Frannie moving about. Santana's eyes turn back to me. "Quinn." Her words are broken and everything shatters. My cool, my heart, my resolve. It all shatters into pieces like the windows of my car.

Santana's eyes water. "NO! Take me to her San. Now!"

I see her chin tremble in a way it had never before. Santana never cried. Not unless something terrible happened. She only cried once when her abuela disowned her. She was strong. She was resilient. She never cried! "Quinn." She whispers my name again, trying to console me.

"NO! No. Take me to her San. Now! I need to see her." I pull at my I.V. and tug the heart monitor off of me. "I need to see her San." Santana's fingers pin my arms to the bed and I thrash in retaliation. "NO! Please Santana. Please." My chest constricts and I can't breath. Everything hurts. No pain medication could take this pain away. "Please Santi. _Please._" Santana pulls me into her arms and I can feel her body trembling, or maybe i'm the one trembling. My fingers wrap into the back of her shirt and I see a flash of the white room again. For some reason this makes me sob harder. Santana mumbles spanish words into my ear as I sob with every fiber of my being. She was gone. She just couldn't be gone.

* * *

**Frannie POV**

I hear and see Quinn struggle with Santana before she crumples. What happened? Quinn shakes with the force of her sobs and I force myself to sit up. I had to look after Quinn. The bed creaks before it is replaced by the sound of metal twisting. My nails dig into my palm but the pain is replaced by the feeling of not being able to breathe. Cool hands grip my face. That was wrong. The last hands to touch me took away the cold. Why did they pull the cold? Why were these hands cold and not warm? I blink and blue eyes fill my vision. "Brit." The word cuts off and I clear my throat. "Brittany, what's going on?" I look around the room. Quinn is still folded into Santana. The shaking hasn't stopped and Quinn's fingers are buried into Santana's shirt. Santana clings to Quinn and her lips move as she speaks softly to my sister. What was wrong with Quinn? Was she in pain? My mom is blinking awake from the chair in between our beds. Something was missing. "Where's Rachel?" She was in the car with us. I remember her singing.

Brittany's eyes are so different than normal. They don't spark with innocence or joy. They are dark and sad. Why was Brittany sad? "Frannie. It's. She didn't." Her words are disjointed and rough, like shes been sobbing and has to force the words out of her throat. Like they keep getting stuck with emotion. I furrow my eyebrows as I look around again. If Rachel wasn't in the room with us wher-. No.

The word forces itself out of my lips. She can't be. My lungs constrict and my stomach drops. Tears spill out of my eyes and I hear the most pitiful wail ever. I turn and see Rachel's fathers clinging to one another. The taller darker one shakes and silent tears stream down his face as he hugs a smaller paler man with glasses, to his front. Santana's father talks to them and I can see the despair on their faces. This confirms what I had thought and the tears fall at a faster pace as Brittany's arms wrap around me, my shoulders shake. She pulls me into her and she rocks me as I see two grown men break apart in front of me. Tears race down my face but I don't make a sound. The taller one, Leroy, crumples into the wall and the shorter man, Hiram, falls into him. They cling to one another and Santana's father watches on solemnly. A nurse walks up to them and murmurs quietly. She looks devastated as they pull her in for a hug. Their bodies shake with grief and my insides feel dead. We made it and Rachel didn't. We were alive and she wasn't.

I feel my mother's fingers brush against my face. She says something. Her face is tinged in relief, worry, sadness and grief. I don't hear a single word she says before I see her shuffle over to check on Quinn. How could this happen? What went wrong? _Freak accident_ whispers in the back of my mind. _No one's fault. Look after each other._ The words were just whispers, like a forgotten dream or a conscience. The sound of many different people grieving fills my ears as Brittany rocks me like a child. I turn into her and hear her humming in my ear.

* * *

**Santana's POV**

I step out of the car and help Brittany get out. Everything is bleak. Black. My fingers tug at lint that isn't there before Brittany's hand wraps around mine. She tries to push some good into me but I shake my head. She didn't have any happy left to give. She would only exhaust herself. Her eyes are watery as we walk to Judy's car. Quinn hasn't touched the wheel of a car since the wreck. It had only been three days but it felt like time had both dragged by and sped up simultaneously.

Quinn exits the back seat, her face is stricken with sorrow. The black stitches glare against the paleness of her skin. They both had gotten away with minor injuries. Ten stitches in Quinn's head. Fifteen in her left shoulder and Frannie had ten scattered about on her chest along with a few scattered on her shoulder. They both were bruised badly all over their body but the doctors said they were lucky. Their fate could have been worse. They didn't know the half of it. Brittany said Rachel had saved them both from death and that she died saving them from the worst of their injuries. How do you tell someone that the person they love is dead because she sacrificed her life to save theirs? The answer is, you don't. Guilt of driving and claiming the front seat had already eaten away at the two Fabray's. Knowing Rachel sacrificed her life for theirs would throw them over the edge.

We walk as a unit as they bring Rachel to her tomb stone. Everyone leans on one another. I catch one boy hanging around in the back. He doesn't look to out of place except for the fact that he isn't walking with anyone. He is by himself. I shake my head and watch my steps on the grass as Frannie and Quinn support on another, arm shakily wrapped around the other. Their mother walks beside them, her fingers always touching one of them as if to make sure that they are really there. My heart clenches again and I feel Brittany pull me into her side tighter than before. This wasn't suppose to happen. Teenagers weren't suppose to die. We were suppose to grow up, grow old. She hadn't even finished high school yet. She would never graduate.

Rachel's family either stand or sit in the place that is reserved for family members. Leroy, Rachel's father, pulls Quinn into a chair. Frannie follows and then he motions for us to sit. He stands silently by his husbands side, his hand laced into paler, smaller hands. The chairs are full of Rachel's family and friends. Finn sobs openly into Selene's abdomen as her fingers run through his hair. Tina's eyes are red rimmed as her fingers clutch at Mike's hands. He is stiff with emotions as he stares at the hole. The place where Rachel will be while we continue to grow. While we age and get wrinkles she will decompose. She is dead and there is nothing we do. They wouldn't even let us see her because she was so broken. My papi said it was a fate no one deserved to see or to happen to them.

My hands shake as someone begins to speak. I can't hear what he is saying. It all blurs together as tears leak from my eyes. It was final. The second she was going to be lowered into the ground it would be final. Rachel would be _dead_. It would the final nail in the casket literally. I keep waiting for her to pop up. To tell us her powers worked to save both Quinn, Frannie and herself. But she never did. This wasn't suppose to happen, she was quirky. She accepted Brittany without a doubt. She loved Quinn. She helped each and everyone one of us. Tina and Mike found each other through Rachel. Mike stood up to his father and Tina got a best friend. Finn became the man he needed to be. Quinn finally learned to love. Frannie found the best friend she always wanted and needed. Brittany found someone as exceptional as she is and I found someone that was like a sister to me. People like her weren't suppose to die.

The voice carries on before he says his last words. Rachel's father stands and his fingers brush delicately across the wood of her casket. "My daughter was an exceptional young woman." Hiram leans into the side of another man that has similar features to Leroy. "She was special and died too early. Parents aren't suppose to bury their children." His voice hitches and I can hear Hiram crying. "This was no ones fault. My daughter's last thoughts were of the people she loved. Her last moments with people she loved." His voice cracks. "It hurts to lose a child especially one so young. But we shouldn't dwell on her death." Tears leak down his face and his entire frame shudders. "She lived a life full of close friends and family. We need to focus on the light she shined in our lives, not on the darkness. She loved each and everyone of us. Her heart was big and continued to grow. Remember her love for you. Remember her smile and her quirks." His smiles is watery and broken. "I've never seen someone go through so many phones as Rachel does. Did." His voice cracks as he corrects himself. Brittany openly cries and I pull her into my side as twin sets of tear roll down my face. Her familiar muscles twitch with each sob racking her body. I can feel her sorrow from deep within her body as my arms tighten around her. "Just, remember my daughter for who she was. Love is the most important thing in this world. We can never have to much of it and we can never give to much away."

He licks his lips as he sits down next to Hiram. They cling to each other as people begin to pay their respects and drop flowers on the casket. I stand next to our group as they lower Rachel into the ground. Quinn's entire frame shudders and shakes in grief. She had grown to love Rachel deeply in the last six months. They had a love that was hard to find. One Brittany and I fought to salvage. Quinn's heart was shattered.

We stand there for what seems like hours as we look into the hole where Rachel would be forever. My eyes brushed over her grave stone._ 'Rachel Barbra Berry. Beloved daughter. Gone to soon but never forgotten. "There is nothing more in life than love."'_ I hear Quinn choke on her sobs as Tina breaks apart in front of Mike. Tina had the shakes and her face was unusually pale. Finn stood looming over everyone. He was weeping openly as he stares at the grave. Frannie hugs Quinn into her chest tightly as Judy pulls them both into her own arms. I was wrapped around Brittany, her whole body shaking from her own grief along with everyone elses. Would anyone ever be happy again? How can someone be happy when they lose a small piece of themselves? I hadn't realized it but slowly Rachel had claimed a piece of my heart like Frannie, Quinn, and the others did. Brittany held most of my heart but the piece that belonged to Rachel was empty. I could only imagine what it felt like for Quinn, or Rachel's fathers. To lose someone that you loved that _dearly_ would kill me. My body shudders as I remember the way Quinn had clung to me when she found out. The way 'please' had left her lips so brokenly as she begged to see Rachel. No one would ever see her again. She was gone forever.

* * *

**Rachel POV**

**Six Months later**

The white room glares at me. Sometimes I would catch glimpses of blonde hair before it was gone. Other times a dark fog hung around the corners of the room before disappearing. Time seemed to stand still. No clocks glared at me telling me to sleep or go to school. I was trapped in the white room, no way out. I never felt tired or hungry. I simply felt lost, like I was missing pieces of myself. Pieces I would never get back.

The white room grew fuzzy and my stomach cramped. Beeping filled my ears. My heart hammered in my chest in fear. Beeping meant something. Beeping and sirens. Sirens and beeping were important. I blink my eyes and for the first time I see grey instead of white. My body protests at the sudden movement. I feel funny. I groan as I try to get up only to have a hand hold me down. "Be still." Warmth floods my body as I see them inject something into my blood.

Time flies by and people come and go. They move my limbs without my permission. Poke and prod at me as the drug keeps me from moving. My chest aches and I want to scratch at it. To see if that will lessen the ache. Finally someone familiar comes in. I recognize him but can't think of any names beside agent. His red hair shines under the light. "Rachel, how do you feel." I open my mouth to speak but an odd groan comes out. He winces. "The drug will wear off in a few more minutes. We had to make sure everything was functioning alright."

We wait in silence until I can move again. I pull myself into a sitting position, my muscles protesting. "What happened?"

His face is grim. "What do you remember?"

Screeching fills my ears. Red floods my vision before blackness does. Dull hazel eyes flash in between beeping and sirens. The sound of glass breaking and metal crunching causes me to flinch. The agent watches me quietly. "There was a crash." I remember taking blackness. They were dying. "I saved them."

He nods his head. "Do you know what today is?"

My eyebrows furrow and my head throbs painfully. "June twenty something. What does that matter? Where's Quinn and Frannie? Did they make it?"

He steps closer as if to offer comfort but he doesn't settle a hand on my shoulder or pat my back. He just stands there. "It's December twentieth."

"What? No, you playing a joke on me. Was it Santana's idea?" My heart monitor sky rockets. "She loves to play pranks. She wouldn't be this cruel." He steps closer and my eyes water at his solemn expression. "Are Quinn and Frannie. Are they-"

"They are alive. They suffered minor injuries thanks to you." Relief floods my veins.

"When can I see them?" My eyes spark with excitement. I couldn't wait to see that they were alright with my own eyes. The last memory I have of them is full of blood. White flashes behind my eyes and I catch a glimpse of a white room. What was that all about?

"Rachel. You have to understand something." He swallows and his adams apple bobs. "You have been in a coma for six months. You can't see them."

"What? Why not?" I start pulling at the wires connected to me. "Where are they? You told me they are fine. Where are they!?" The heart monitor begins to beep faster.

His hand moves to push my shoulders down and I slap them away. Thankfully my bare skin hit his covered arm. "Rachel, please sit down. You are going to hurt yourself."

"No, I have to see them." My feet touch the cold floor and I stand up. My legs crumple underneath me and the agent catches me.

They feel like jello. "You can't see them."

"Why!?" He doesn't even flinch at my yell of indignation.

"Because to the world you died in the car crash six month ago." Something cold and harsh floods from my stomach until it is flowing through my entire body.

Disbelief has me blinking as he picks me up and helps me back into bed._ "What?"_

He pulls the blanket over my legs. "It wasn't my choice but they decided to tell everyone you died in that wreck."

Tears fill my eyes. "Why would you do that?! My family thinks i'm dead."

"The company makes decisions for the greater good. It is safer for you to be here than out there alone." His face remains passive as if he is reciting a long remember line.

"The greater good! My fathers think i'm dead, I just started opening up to them! My friends, I-. They think i'm dead. Tina will break and so will Finn. I made new friends. I promised i'd always be there for Frannie." How could these people make this horrible decision. How could they take me away from the people I love the most. "God Quinn, I was opening up to her about my feelings! They are all broken now. Why would you do that? I love them all, they are my family! How could you take me from them!" This blackness appeared in the veins of my hands. "How could you do that to them!" The blackness thickens in my veins.

"Rachel, calm down before they have to sedate you." His hands move into a placating manner. It only serves to piss me off. How could they? It was my life and they killed my identity.

My blood feels hot in my veins. "How could you do that! You monsters! How do I even know they are okay? How can I trust you?"

He holds his hands up again. "We can show you video that they are alright. We sent Felix to check on them." I narrow my eyes and he holds up a finger before typing something in his phone. Someone brings in a laptop and then leaves. "Here. Just take a deep breath and look."

He hits the space bar and a shaky video feed comes on. I can see masses of black. I catch sight of blonde hair and my heart speeds up. Finally the video settles on a group of people standing in front of a casket. My casket. A man speaks but my eyes are trained on the people in front of the hole in the earth. I can make out two masses of blonde hair sitting close together. My fathers cling to eachother's hands and bright blonde hair mixes with dark brown. I can make out a huge frame folded into a smaller blonder more feminine frame. God Finn was sobbing mercilessly. Tears prick at my eyes and roll down my face.

Time passes and I see my father get up. His words cause my heart to ache and then its over. They sit there after they lower a most likely empty casket into the ground. People leave but they stay. My fathers, my friends, my girlfriend. They stay there and stare at the hole like it holds answers to everything. And it does, if they would open that casket and find it empty then more questions would arise and they could find me. They would realize somethings wrong, especially Brittany. She was perceptive enough to realize that an empty casket meant _something_. But they don't. They don't open it, they just continue to watch the hole. My dad stand up and his pale skin is whiter than I had ever seen it. His eyes are bloodshot and a sound escapes my throat at the pure anguish on his face. He drops a flower into the grave and his knees shake and buckle before my daddy catches him, his huge frame shaking but supportive and strong as always.

Shakily and slowly the rest of them get up and drop their flowers into the grave. I can make out Quinn's trembling frame, Frannie's arms wrapped around her. They lean on each other. Each of them had someone to support them. Tina had Mike, Finn had Serenity, Santana and Brittany had eachother. Suddenly Quinn lets out a low sob and Santana pulls her into her own slightly less shaky frame. Brittany comforts Frannie and I see DeLaney hugging my fathers. She had always been close to our family.

Quinn seems to collapse into Santana's arms. Slowly but surely everyone makes their way to their respective cars. Felix moves behind them, watching each of them and I feel something inside me fester at knowing he was there. He was watching my family grieve and hadn't made a sound. Something was wrong with this company, they trained the others from a young age. I knew that much, but what all did they train them in. Felix's voice comes over the video as he starts his car. "No mentions of Rachel's powers. I think it's safe to say the only one who knows is Dr. Lechy."

"See, they are fine." I stare into his eyes as he speaks softly to me.

"They're fine? You call this fine? They think i'm dead!" I throw the laptop across the room. It shatters against the wall. He doesn't even flinch. "They think i'm dead!" Tears fall faster down my face. They think i'm dead. It's been six month and they think i'm dead. "I want to see them. I need to see them."

I start to get out of bed again. "Rachel, you can't do that. You showing up will only break them farther. It's been six months since they _buried_ you. I know you aren't really dead but they think you are."

My chin trembles as tears trail down my face. "Why would they tell them I died?" My voice is hoarse with emotion.

His eyes connect with mine. "It was the company's idea. They put an order out once they heard you were in an accident. You have to understand, we had monitors on you to watch you. Make sure you were okay." His eyes bore into mine, dragging the breath from my body with each word. "The ambulance showed up. Some doctors from the company took you in another ambulance. You were almost completely dead. You heart rate wasn't showing up and your blood pressure was too low. They didn't know if you were going to make it or not. You died on the way here and they brought you back to life." I just stare at him, waiting to process all the information. "They brought you here to save you. They managed to stabilize you. You have to understand that there are only three other teenagers with abilities in the United States. You are top priority and this lab cannot be discovered. They told everyone you had died. And you _were_ brain dead for the first week. It was a closed casket because the doctors said your body was mangled. A site that couldn't be unseen. The company believes that having no ties makes it easier for you to learn." I just stare at him. They had told everyone I was dead so that I wouldn't have ties to anyone. My family believed me to be dead. What kind of place was this?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything mention in or about this story.**

**The Curse of Having a Gift**

_**December 13, 2012**_

**Rachel POV**

My muscles still feel weak, stronger than before but frail. Like they weren't used to working. I watch as the Agent, Damien, leads me to a room. Inside the room is a doctor. His body is built like a giant, face clean and head shaven. Dark eyes watch me as I come in and I am reminded of a lion, a very bald lion, as he watches me with eyes that bore right into me. I glare right back, my eyes hard. "Hello Miss Berry." My jaw clenches. "Do you retain the ability to speak or did you lose it along with your manners?" He pulls on gloves and pulls out a needle. I tense. "Seems you have lost both. I hope you haven't lost your hearing as well?" I hear Damien sigh behind me and the doctor steps forward, he grabs my arm and I jerk away from him but his grip is hard. "Hold still, I don't want to hurt you."

I struggle against his arm but mine doesn't move from his grip. The needle pokes into my arm and I watch as the blood pools out. "Let me GO!"

He fills the vial and releases me as he puts a cotton ball and wraps my arm. "She does speak. I was worried there for a minute. Comas tend to have varied results." He shuffles to the other side of the room and I glare at him, putting every ounce of hatred I feel into it. "There's a look that could curtle milk. Have you taken her to the others yet."

"No. They wanted a clean bill of health before integrating her with the others. They're worried she is to weak right now." Agent Damien stands straight, looking over the doctor's shoulder. His form is stiff and he looks like a toy soldier.

The doctor laughs. "Oh she is perfectly fine, her muscles need to readjust to being used but she is perfectly fine. Throw her in with them. Train her. Let her body adjust quickly before it gets lazy." I grit my teeth at his tone. He leaves the room with my blood.

"Come Rachel, let's go to the others." Agent Damien's voice is stiff as I glare at him. His hand moves to guide me and I jerk out of the way, walking forward stiffly. He walks beside me and opens the door. "Follow me." My eyes flick around the hallways, looking for an escape out of this place but there is none. I am trapped. "They're in here." He opens the door and I stop moving when I see who stands there.

Fae's soft eyes look to me, a grin tugging at her lips before she flinches away from my look. I know what I look like, pale skin, dark bruises under my eyes, frown set deep into my lips and my eyes are harder than they have ever been as a glare remains on my face. "Hey Rachel." I catch sight of Felix and I move forward without thought. Thoughts of him watching my family suffer running around my head. I pass by Fae who shoots me an understanding yet wounded look. Felix turns as if sensing me and I pick up one of the stick they had been practicing with. As his head turns around I aim a swing at him as hard as I can. Somehow he manages to catch the stick at an odd angle and twists it out of my hand. I slam my weak body into his with a force I didn't know I possessed. He stumbles and I feel fingers clamp onto my arms. Their skin touches mine and I hear a scream. Sound explodes in my head under-toning the scream. I kick out with my leg and hear a grunt before I stumble away, the hands still connected to me before someone rips them away from me.

I shake as I try to decipher what I had just seen. It was a jumbled mess that I couldn't comprehend. My breathing is harsh and I look to see Fae gripping her head, tears running down her face. Felix is on his knees, his hands pressed between his legs as his face pales and sweats. His breathing is pained. Agent Damian has his hands on Fae's cheeks as he forces her to look at him. I am reminded of my fathers briefly with the way he is treating her. I stand up but none of the three seem to realize anything. Felix has his eyes closed as he groans. Agent Damien is calming Fae. With that last look I pick up the stick and walk out of the room quietly before sprinting down the hallway.

My feet slap on the ground, the grey socks muffling the noise somewhat. The white tee-shirt they gave me sticks to my ribs as I pant. I look for any escape and find a door. I open it and find Knave meditating. His none seeing eyes flash to me and I slam the door shut before sprinting down the hall. I check all the doors but I only find two supply closets and some bathrooms. My breathe sounds harsh to my ears and my throat burns. I hear footfalls behind me and I take off again, my muscles protesting and jelly like. I spot a window and clamber up the thick sill. I take the stick and strike the window as hard as I can. I hear a crack and I can't tell if it came from the wood or the window. I hit it again and hear the window crack as I watch it spiderweb from the spot. I hit it one last time and it shatters. I shove my way through and can smell the fresh air before hands grab my waist and pull me away from freedom.

I scream in panic and reach for the window, the glass catches in my arm and I kick. The hands are gloved and pin my arms to my side. Agent Damien looks at me as her holds me to his chest. "Calm down." I continue to struggle before a doctor with a needle comes closer. I kick and throw out words and screams before a prick on my arm and then fuzziness before it turns black.

* * *

_**Five months earlier.**_

_**July 25, 2012**_

**Santana POV**

"San?" I turn my head to Brittany. Her eyes a soft and sad. Broken.

My heart clenches at that look. I see it everyday. The look that there is no good in the world. Rachel's death had shook her. Made her realize that people do die and not everything is bright all the time. "Yeah B?"

"Can we go see Rachel today?" I swallow as my throat dries and my eyes water. Brittany's cat, her crazy cat, meows and snuggles closer to her. "Lord Tubbington wants to go to."

My jaw trembles as I nod. "Yeah B we can go today, Lord T can come too." That crazy cat understood my girlfriend almost as much and sometimes more than I did. He was a piece of her and her a piece of him. Brittany's power brought him back, tied him to her. She gave something to him and against all odds I love that cat. Even if he has a tendency to puke on my heels.

Brittany nods and lays her head in my lap. My fingers roam through her hair. "I think we should take some food for Quinn. She's going to be there to." Britt's eyes are closed yet she speaks so much truth. An innocent comment that hits me in my heart. Quinn. God Quinn wasn't coping at all. She went back to her head bitch route. Shoved everyone away. Tried to shove Frannie away. No matter how much we talk to her or try to get through her head she lashes out. She is slowly isolating herself.

"Yeah Britt, she'll be there." I close my eyes against the onslaught of emotion. Quinn had been my best friend for years. Seeing her like this, in so much pain hurt me deep inside. I ached to help her but she wouldn't take it.

The cat meows and Brittany stands up. "C'mon San, lets make something with bacon. Quinn loves bacon." I follow the two fo them down the stairs and to the kitchen. Brittany's mom smiles gently at us.

"Hey girls." Her blue eyes search over us. Catching on the bags under my eyes and Brittany's not there smile.

"Hey momma." Brittany prances over to her mother, smothering her in long arms. Brittany's mom is much shorter than she is and a smile tugs at my lips at the picture of the two of them. Brittany is in every way her mother except for the height and gangly limbs.

"Hey Mrs. Pierce." She pulls me into the hug and I can feel Lord Tubbington wrapping his body around our legs as he moves through them. My arms wind around both of the blondes.

"What have I told you Santana? Call me Barbra." Her smile is easy as she places her hand on our checks and looks us both over. "You two look to be on a mission, what do you need?"

Brittany places a kiss on her mother's cheek. "Something with bacon for Quinn. She needs to eat. San and I are going to see Rachel and Quinn'll be there."

I see the emotion flutter in Mrs. Pierce's eyes as she makes a smile from across her lips. Sorrow is evident in her eyes. "I'll make something for her and you two baby. Go sit." Brittany nods and pulls me to the table. I slump against her body as we wait. The only sound is the kitchen being used and slowly I fall asleep to the sound of Brittany's heart.

Softness touches my cheek and slowly my eyes open. I turn to look at Brittany as she pulls her lips away. "Hi." My voice is sleep ridden.

"Hi." A smile tugs at her lips as she greets me back in her soft voice. We smile at one another until Brittany pulls me up. We eat our food slowly, eggs and bacon. Finishing she kisses me again and pulls me to my feet. "Let's go see Rachel and Quinn."

I drive us to the cemetery, Lord Tubbington curled in Brittany's lap. I keep my eyes on the road as we drive. I pull into the drive and put the car in park. We get out and follow the path to Rachel's gravestone. I see Quinn's blonde hair and sigh. Frannie is sitting against a tree maybe twenty yards away as Quinn stares at the stone. Brittany walks right up to the stone and brushes Rachel's name. "Hi Rachel, sorry it took so long for me to come back. Lord Tubbington came to." Quinn's hazel eyes look to Brittany and all I see is pain. She doesn't lash out at Brittany, she never could, that's what I was for. "My mom made Quinn some food, I don't know how to make anything vegan or vegetarian so I didn't. I'm sorry, I know you don't like meat or milk. Lord Tubbington loves milk though. He says you must have been crazy to not like milk. Don't listen to him though, he's the crazy one. He licks himself instead of taking a bath." Lord T meows in annoyance as he sits near the grave. "He says hi too."

Quinn just continues to stare at them and Frannie watches us with sad eyes. Her and Brittany had known Rachel the longest out of the four of us. I look around for Finn before I remember he was at summer training. Mike and Tina were sent to Asian camp by their parents. I walk to Frannie, knowing somehow Brittany would help Quinn. I set the food at Frannie's feet before I sit down next to her. "Hey."

"Hey Santana." Her voice is rough as she watches the two blondes in front of us. "How's Brittany?"

"She's coping somehow. How's Quinn?" My eyes flicker to Quinn's face. She looks lost.

"She's broken, they may have only dated a few months but Quinn grew to love her. I think she might have been the one." Frannie's voice breaks.

"Yeah, they knew each other longer than they dated though. It's easy to fall for Rachel. Well was. They couldn't help it. Somehow they were made for one another." Frannie nods out of the corner of my eyes. "Has she been sleeping?"

"Yeah, she sleeps. But she just pushes her food around. I don't think she knows how to cope with losing someone. I don't think any of us do." Her hand slides down to squeeze my knee. I set my hand on her and squeeze it reassuringly.

None of us knew how to cope, we were young and broken. The only way Quinn knew how to work through things was on her own. "She's trying to isolate herself."

"I know. Mom tries to get her into therapy but Quinn fights it. She has so much anger." Frannie's voice is rough.

"Quinn's always been angry Fran. She just knew how to control it. Now, now there's all these emotions and she's lost." I catch her nodding as she looks at the two girls in front of us. Quinn isn't saying anything but Britt is talking a mile a minute to Rachel's stone. As if Rachel can hear her. My voice catches in my throat. "We'll help her through this, whatever way we can. We'll help each other." I turn to look at her, letting her know i'm here for her too.

* * *

**_Four months Earlier_**

**_August 23, 2012_**

**_Santana's POV_**

School had started and Quinn went from head bitch in charge to skank. "Q." Her overly lined eyes turn to me through pink hair and anger. "What are you doing?"

She drops her cigarette to the floor and scuffs her boot over it. "Nothing Lopez, just hanging. What are you doing?"

"Wondering what the hell happened to you, two weeks ago you had blonde hair. Now this. Is this you coping o-" She slaps me as hard as she can and I can feel the blood pooling in my cheek and taste copper in my mouth.

Her glare is harsh. "Shut the fuck up Santana. You know nothing."

I pop my neck, knowing what she needs. She needs to let her anger out. We were under the bleachers, no one would see us. The other skanks were gone doing something and nobody was around. "I know everything. You feel this pain that is like nothing you've ever felt."

She steps forward. "Shut up San."

"You feel so much anger because she is gon-" I see the punch coming but I don't do anything. This is what our friendship boils down to. We get on another and we will take a beating for the other. We are both anger aggressive individuals.

My lip bleeds slowly. "I said shut the fuck up Santana!" Her eyes are angry but sad. Hard but watery. Her fist clenches and unclenches as if she still needs to hit something but doesn't know how.

"I know how you feel Quinn, I felt the same why after my abuela disowned me. After my cousin die-" This time I don't see it coming and the hit catches me off guard. I feel the skin on my cheek bone split open, her ring catching it just right. I stumble back and barely hold back the need to press my hand onto the gash in my cheek. Sue was going to lose her shit. "It's fine to be angry Quinn, you los-"

She lets out a pain yell before she hits me again, I feel the pain in my eye and my body slumps into the chainlink fence before I stand tall again. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I step forward and like a spring she jumps forward, she hits me in my stomach and then my ribs. I growl as I hold back the urge to fight back. She needed this. She needed to let it out and feel something. Even if that something was her knuckles splitting open. "SHUT UP!"

Her right hand comes out of nowhere and hits me on the cheek again. I see black spots before I shove her off of me. She stumbles and I take the initiative to hit her. I feel her bite the inside of her cheek as my knuckles slam into her face. She slumps back before she falls to her knees. I shake my hand out and sit down next to her. Sobs wrack her body and I slip my arms around her. She struggles at first before she falls into me. I groan softly as I slump back into the fence. She's practically sitting in my lap as she buries her face into my chest. Her hands tug at my shirt like a lost baby and I smooth my hands down her back. My ribs ache and I know one of them has to be cracked. I know I have a black eye and busted lip. I can feel the blood drying from the cut on my cheek. That would scar. "I'm so. San. I'm so sorry." Her voice is broken as she mumbles these words into my throat.

I slip my hands, smoothing them up and down her back. "It's alright Lucy. It's alright." Her knees curl into me as she folds her body completely into mine. "Everything will even out Luce. Just breath." Her breathing slows and my eyes flutter shut as I slump my head into her shoulder. Our bodies molded together in grief and pain.

* * *

_**December 13, 2012**_

_**Present time**_

_**Rachel POV**_

Slowly my eyes open and I fight the urge to vomit as it spins. "Careful, the sedative makes you a bit nauseous." I groan in answer and hear a chuckle. "Open your eyes when you feel better." I open them to see and man with glasses and receding grey hair. His eyes are dull. "Good afternoon Rachel, how do you feel?"

"Fine." My stomach roles in argument as I sit up, my arm throbs in pain as I look down at the white wrapping covering it.

"Ahh, you managed to catch yourself on some glass. Seven stitches. Don't worry,, they'll be out in no time." I turn my eyes to him as he smile. He looks to the door. "You have a quick visitor but then I will come back to explain some things to you." He stands up and leaves.

Fae walks in, her black brown hair pull up into a messy ponytail. "Hey." I stare at her. She has been in this place for years. Did she know what they were doing with me? Does she know that my family thinks i'm dead? Or does she think i'm here because they disowned me? "How do you feel?" I shrug my shoulders. She laughs nervously and self depreciative. "Our powers kind of collided, worked off one another. I touched you and something big happened. They think I felt all the past ghost and maybe future ghosts that would be connected to you. And I guess you saw my death or maybe the deaths of all the ghosts, people, i've helped."

Her eyes are sad yet curious. She reminds me of Brittany again and my heart aches. "I just saw a jumble of thing and sound. I can't tell you when you'll die." My voice is dull as I look over her shoulder.

"I don't want to know when i'll die. It'll just make things seem so different. I love living like I do." I ignore her as well as I can. "I'm sorry. I didn't know anything they were going t-" The doctor walks in, his eyes looking between us.

"Sorry Fae, I need to be alone with Miss Berry." Fae nods and offers me a soft smile. I don't return it. "Alright Rachel, I know you feel lost and confused." Black veins well up on my hands. "And angry but that is no need to be mean to everyone or try to escape." Anger wells deep inside of me, as if it had been hiding there. "This is for your own good and I know you feel an-"

I grab his arm with my bare hand. "You know how I feel?" I don't see anything except for his face as he swallows. "This is how I feel. This is what travels through me." I put all of my anger into squeezing his arm, the black veins transfer to his arm and I can slowly feel the bad emotion leaving me, if just for a little bit. His eyes go blank before losing their light. He looks broken and sad. He turns and leaves without a word. I stare after him and watch as Damien follows him.

Another guard escorts me to my room and I lay on the bed and wait. Minutes pass by and I get up. My fingers clamp around the doorknob and turn. Nothing happens. I kick the door with a frustrated scream. I kick it again for the heck of it as I feel the anger welling up inside of me. I flop back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling. Thoughts drifting to my family and what their faces look like. They are blurry and my head throbs as I force it to focus. The crash had done something to my memories. Making them fuzzy, harder to connect. My eyes close on their own as memories flash behind my eyelids. My fathers laughing faces, Frannie shoving against Quinn, Quinn's eyes as she smiled, Brittany's furrowed brow of confusion then understanding, Santana's face as she looked at Brittany. Everything I could try to remember passed through my head. Calming me, causing me to ache yet feel fulfilled. Somewhat normal.

The door bursts open and the guard rips me off the bed. His hand bites into my arm painfully and I struggle. He squeezes tighter and jerks me along. I scowl and yell in protest before I see Damien and the bald doctor from earlier. They stand looking on through glass in front of them. The doctor looks at me. "You can let Miss Berry go Guard." The guard squeezes tighter then releases me. I throw a glare to him and his face turns into a snarl like expression before he turns and leaves. I rub at my arm. "Look into this window Miss Berry." I step closer and stare at them before flicking my eyes to the window.

Inside the doctor from earlier scream and thrashes. "Please. Let me. I need to!"

I flinch back at the crazed look in his eyes. "Do you know what caused him to be like this?" I shake my head and the guard from earlier is back, watching as they sedate the doctor. "You did this."

"What?" I step back and look at them in confusion."

"We watched the video. You did something to him you fucking bitch!" I feel something buzzing around my fingers as he screams at me, he steps into my personal space and I catch the bald doctor just watching me. Agent Damien looks conflicted as he waits for his order. "I would kill you if you weren't worth so much fucking money! If they didn't threaten to kill my family for harming you. That's my brother in there and you're killing him you bitch!" His spit flies into my face with each word yelled. The buzzing grows and I look down.

My heart skips as I recognize it. It was the blackness that I took from both Quinn and Frannie. The one that almost killed Quinn before the ambulance arrived. My stomach drops as I realizes what this was. This was death and it was at her fingertips. If I can take it in does that means I can give it out. "I didn't kill him. Only transferred emotions. If I wanted to kill him I would have used this." I hold up her fingers and the guard steps back. Damien remains still and the doctor watches on in interest and amusement. "I could kill you with a touch." My voice is emotionless. Tight. They took my family. "A brush of skin."

The guard steps back and swallows. The door opens and I flick my eyes over to see who it is. Knave walks in and he steps right beside me. "You won't kill anyone because you want to see your family. That is why you want to escape."

"I will kill to see them!" My voice is exasperated and loud.

He tilts his head, his eyes unfocused. "I understand your pain, follow me please." The doctor, guard and Damien watch us. "Sedate him. The feelings of despair should wear off. I can already see it weakening."

The guard glares at me as we leave and I feel something flicker in my chest. "Guilt. Good, you aren't remorseful. I'll take you to see your family but only on one condition."

My face pinches. "What's the condition?"

He tilts his head as his eyes watch me yet fly through me. "You can't speak to them or let them see you."

"What?! No! I want to see them, talk to them!" My voice bounces across the hall and I can feel the buzzing in my finger tips.

Knave doesn't even look afraid as he settles his hand on my shoulder. "I've been watching them, I needed to make sure none of them would harm themselves. Just follow me, listen to me." I follow him without thought, I needed to see them.

He flashes a card to a security guy and he lets us go to a car, inside a driver sits, aviators on his face, gun on his hip and unmoving face. Knave flashes his card and tilts his head. The man drives without questioning us. "How does he know where we're going?"

"He takes me there all the time, Like I said I watch them. They shouldn't have let your family think you're dead. It was wrong of them to do, but it was what they were told. There is more than you can see. There is always more than you can see." I stare at him as the words roll around in my head. We drive in silence as I watch the fields fly by. Time seems impossibly slow as I watch the side roads come and go. I begin to see the fields lessening before we come into the outskirts of Lima. MY breathing quickens, heart racing away. "Today's Thursday, they should be in classes." I nod my head running through explanations. Through ways to tell them why I was gone so long.

We pull behind the football field and I can see the red and white that is so familiar but such a distant memory. I move to run to the field but Knave's hand stops me. "Rules, just follow me please." I try to jerk out of his hold. "He has a gun and will use force to knock you out if you disobey. PLease, I need you to see them. I want you to see them."

"Fine. Just take me to them." My lips tremble as he guides me to the fence. I know the cameras won't see us. They were to smart to leave physical evidence behind.

I stand there and watch them. Watch as Quinn tells the cheerleaders what to do. Six months and her hair was shorter than I had ever seen it. My chest aches and I feel Knave slip his arm around my shoulder in comfort. I accept it. They looked so different. My eyes move to the other part of the group. Santana is standing tall and looking pissed off, my eyes squint as I realize that her shirt is tighter than it once was. Confusion hits me deep and my eyes move to Brittany, she looks softer, less excitable than before. My throats dries and I move my eyes back to Quinn. She looks so different, her face was so hard. My eyes crinkle as I stare at her, Brittany comes up to her as she sends the others running. They run together and I catch a small smile pulling itself across Quinn's face as Brittany says something. They smile and that ache settles deep inside my body as I flicker to the football field. I spot Finn easily. His hair is shorter, almost bald. Gone were her dark locks. His muscles bulged in his arms and I saw a tattoo under his jersey sleeve.

My eyes tingle and I watch as he talks to Mike. He looks leaner, faster as he smoothly discusses things with Finn. Smiles pull at their lips when they look to the stands. My eyes follow them and see Serenity, Tina and Franny. I grip the fence as emotion overload me. Each person hitting me harder and harder. Tina's hair is streaked in different color but she wears a soft navy dress. The same loving smile graces her face as she looks to Mike. Serenity looks so content as she looks to Finn, something hides behind her eyes, understanding grief. My body shakes as I turn to Franny. Her face is thinner than before. Her face softer, sadder as she watches the cheerleaders. Her fingers weave in and out of her bag strap and tears prick my eyes. I follow her gaze back to Quinn who is running as hard as she can, her body doesn't stumble or fail her. Or show weakness but I can see it and that's when I break.

The tears come falling down as I slump into the fence. I watch as Tina touches Franny's hand. I watch Franny smile and they talk softly, small smiles on their faces. I watch, my chest aching as Finn and Mike laugh loudly about something together. My body shakes with silent tears and sobs as I watch Santana pull Quinn to the side. Watch as Santana hugs her, Quinn clings to her but a soft smile breaks across her face, trembling and then she is chuckling softly at something that Brittany says. Knave looks to me."Their sadness slowly started to heal the more time they were around one another. They're healing but their fractured, if you show up randomly it will break them. Beyond repair. You can't do that to them."

"i don't want to leave them! Please." His eyes flicker with emotion before he turns to look at the cheerleaders. I follow his gaze and catch Brittany looking to us. I watch her eyes furrow before she turns to say something to Santana. Knave is pulling me away, a gloved hand clamping firmly over my mouth as I open it to scream to her. I watch as she turns around. As her eyes grow confused and sad at the empty spot I just occupied. Santana says something, her mouth moving and I struggle until knave shoves me gently into the car. The driver pulls out and I scream and pound against knave's chest as I stare out the tinted windows at the retreating school. I feel the buzzing and hit him harder. I feel a prick in my arm and looking in dull blue apologetic eyes as everything goes black.

I wake up slowly, groggily as my head slowly clears. Damien sits in the corner, his eyes watching me. "Come." He pulls me from the bed and I stumble as I follow him. His head steadies me before pulling away. My jaw clenches as I think of what had seemed like a dream that morphed into a nightmare. He leads me downstairs to a type of indoor field. "Time to learn what they can do." I watch as they run them through an obstacle course. "They need to be prepared for anything, being in the field trying to find answers is dangerous so we help them build strength. Teach them to defend themselves. Both physically and using their powers." I watch as Fae smirks as she passes Felix easily on the run tarmac. "They help people. Give them closure. Find criminals police would never catch. They're a special task force and I'm proud to be a part of it." His eyes look to me quickly. "You can be a part of it to. Help people if you let yourself. You lost your family but you can gain a new one."

I stare at him in disbelief. "No-one can replace them! You can't just tell me to get over this. I love them and I can't see them! Talk to them! They think i am dead!" I shove him away and turn and start to run. My feet pound against the floor on their own. Arms wrap around me after passing many hallways. I scream and thrash as they pull me into a lab and shove a needle in my arm. My heart aches and their words fluster through my head. "Did you plan this? Did you hit Quinn's car?" The black tendrils slip out and the doctors jump back in shock and fear. "Tell me!" Tears fall out of my eyes as my heart physically aches. I throw the utensils across the room as I scream in anger and pain. Damien comes running in. He slips his arms around me and I struggle against him, screaming and searching for his skin. Sobs fall from my lips as the medicine makes me slump into him. "Did you plan it?"

I listen to his steady heartbeat. "No. We're not monsters. I look after you kids. I would never wish this pain on anyone. I fought them but you are here now. Its my job to take care of you. I promise you it was not planned. The company wouldn't do that. They couldn't." His words float around in my head as I sob into his chest and slowly succum to the drugs.


End file.
